Royal Enfield Meteor 350

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While the Royal Enfield Meteor 350's low seat height is surely welcoming, owing to its feet-forward riding position, you will feel more of the road imperfections you encounter. We'd recommend you instead look at the Bullet / Classic from RE's stable, as these bikes have more upright, natural riding triangles which will be useful over the long daily commute your father faces. The Honda CB350s offer a similar riding experience but are lighter and easier to manage. Given that your daily commute is quite long and likely to involve bad patches too, a motorcycle would be the more comfortable alternative to a scooter. However, if you must have an electric scooter, choose from proven options like the TVS iQube, Bajaj Chetak, Ather Rizta / Konarc and Vida VX2.

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For anyone transitioning from a CVT scooter to a geared motorcycle, the initial period can be a little challenging. However, once you adapt to the system, it will almost become second nature, and there won’t be much to worry about.Going from a Honda Activa to a Royal Enfield Meteor 350 will certainly require some adjustment, given the significant difference in weight between the two machines. However, once on the move, the Meteor’s weight tends to fade into the background, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to manage. The Meteor also gets a slip-and-assist clutch, which makes the clutch action pleasingly light and should make the transition easier.

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Since you already have a RE Classic 350 at home, we'd recommend you remove the Meteor 350 and Harley-Davidson X440 from your shortlist because these bikes will feel quite similar to your Classic. The 350cc Triumph Speed 400 and Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 will offer a more engaging riding experience with more performance and features on tap, and are the ones we'd advise you to choose between. Of the two, the Triumph bike has the more mellow nature, but it will still feel like a good step up from your Classic in terms of performance and handling. The Guerrilla, on the other hand, is quite excitable and of the two, this is definitely the more fun machine. Its suspension is a little taut, which enables it to have very engaging handling, but over bad roads, you will feel a little more of the road surface coming through to your back. The RE also has a crisper, more tech-laden TFT display, whereas the Triumph uses a simple digi-analogue unit.Take a test ride of both before you make your decision, since they are quite different to ride.

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The TVS Apache RTX 300 may be in the same price and displacement bracket as the RE Meteor 350 and Honda CB350C but it is a completely different sort of bike. It has a more powerful, rev-happy, liquid-cooled engine, better suspension and seating comfort and sportier handling than the two laidback neo-retro machines you've shortlisted. On the other hand, the air-cooled 350s will have a more torque-rich and laidback riding experience. While these bikes will be slower, they're sure to have more of an emotional connect with you. Since these are such drastically different machines, only a test ride will help you decide which is the best one for you.

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Since you have had a good experience with the Unicorn in the past, sticking with the Honda bike and going for the CB350 is a good bet. The CB350 is a comfortable, reliable and decently fuel-efficient machine which should last a long time without major problems, by and large. The Royal Enfield Meteor 350 has a similar feel to the CB350 but has a more laid-back rider's triangle. It won't be ideal over bad patches of road. Instead, we recommend you look at its siblings, like the Hunter / Bullet / Classic, because with their more upright, neutral ergonomics, they will be more comfortable. A test ride should help you decide between these 350s.